Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin plans to take people to the moon by 2024

Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company, Blue Origin, aims to take people to the moon by 2024, he said yesterday.

Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company, Blue Origin, aims to take people to the moon by 2024, Bezos said yesterday.

During an hour-long presentation at Washington DC’s Convention Center, Bezos said the announcement was a chance to “share our vision of going to space to benefit Earth”.

A number of details were revealed during the presentation:

Blue Moon lunar lander: Blue Origin revealed that a variant of Blue Moon, its large lunar lander, will be capable of carrying up to 6.5-metric-tons, laying the groundwork for human-carrying missions.

The cargo variant revealed yesterday can carry 3.6 metric tons to the surface.

BE-7 engine: The Blue Moon lunar lander will be powered by the BE-7 engine, a new addition to Blue Origin’s family of engines. The BE-7’s 40 kN (10,000 lbf) thrust is designed for large lunar payload transport. The engine’s propellants are a combination of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

The BE-7 will have its first hotfire this summer. The engine will be available for sale to other companies for use in in-space and lander applications.

Club For the Future: Blue Origin has also founded a non-profit organisation, which the company says is "dedicated to inspiring and engaging the next generation of dreamers and space entrepreneurs as we journey to preserve Earth and unlock the potential of living and working in space”.

The Club will bring together students, educators and leaders for campaigns and initiatives utilising Blue Origin’s unique access to space. The Club’s first activity will be to send a postcard to space and back – the first ever space mail.